Abstract
Urban water systems face multiple challenges related to future uncertainty and pressures to provide more sustainable and resilient modes of service delivery. Transitioning away from fully centralized water systems is seen as a primary solution to addressing these urban challenges and pressures. We first review the literature on advantages, potential risks, and impediments to change associated with decentralized water system. Our review suggests that adopting decentralized solutions may advance conditions of sustainability and resilience in urban water management. We then explore the potential to incorporate decentralized water systems into broader urban land use patterns that include underserved residential neighborhoods, mixed-use developments, and industrial districts.
Highlights
The age and centralized design of urban water management systems in the United States pose significant and increasing economic, social, and environmental costs to the communities they serve
We examine land-use scenarios that represent strong opportunities to move beyond barriers to sustainable technological transition and incorporate decentralized water infrastructure
We identify three land use scenarios that represent strong test applications for decentralized water infrastructure: mixed-use development, industrial areas, and residential neighborhoods—especially those that have historically been underserved in terms of water infrastructure capacity and maintenance
Summary
The age and centralized design of urban water management systems in the United States pose significant and increasing economic, social, and environmental costs to the communities they serve. A number of demonstration projects show that decentralized infrastructure does result in water resource conservation, energy and cost efficiency, improved system security, and greater adaptability in configuring water systems for specific local contexts and changes in operation conditions [17,22,23]. Such infrastructure directly addresses many of the weaknesses associated with centralized water systems.
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